


Blue Feathers

by howlingwolvesonfire



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Jelano Weekend 2016, but hopeful in the end, melancholic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 03:01:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29429232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/howlingwolvesonfire/pseuds/howlingwolvesonfire
Summary: An angel belongs in heaven, and heaven is just what he is. Three connected drabbles for Jelano Weekend 2016
Relationships: Angel | Sorano Aguria/Jellal Fernandes





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Happy V-Day to everyone out there. This isn't really a conventional mushy romance for the occasion, but since I've been putting off getting two of these three drabbles done since, what, 2016? I think I deserve to treat myself and post them now.
> 
> Originally for Jelano Weekend 2016. I do not own FT. Enjoy

**i. three months - heaven**

* * *

Three months ago the two of them sat by the riverbank as the night began to show off to glow with stars above, the clear sky giving a vast view as they blinked into being. The two tried hard to both avoid and desperately start a conversation.

It was promising to be a cold night, one whose chill bites you relentlessly if you went out unprepared. So despite Jellal hearing over and over again from Sorano just how audaciously ugly the guild cloaks were he was beyond grateful to see the hood of her own pulled up.

Not a few hours ago they were fighting a local dark guild holed up near an abandoned mineshaft and now they were camping by the riverbank for easy access to water. Jellal would be lying if he said he was in great shape, his shoulder and head aching from a few hits that truly landed. Sorano must have also had a few aches, though beyond the bruises of battle she hid her hurt well.

"Lovely night isn't it? One of the only good things about being away from civilization is being able to clearly see the stars." He tried easing into a conversation about the heavens; he figured she might have a few things to say on the matter, but only silence echoed from his companion.

He scratched his head and winced. Not from the awkward silence, but from the pain of being rattled around by a dark guild goon (well, a little from the awkward silence).

"It wasn't your fault, it's mine." The whisper was so quiet he almost mistook it for the wind.

"…Sorano, it really wasn't–"

"Yes, it was." A hiss now, its force wholly unexpected. "I was the one to rush in when they seemed to be backing off. I didn't think they'd still have something up their sleeve, I…" She trailed off a bit, sighing. All of the force of just a moment ago gone, with just a regretful look in her eyes remaining.

Jellal looked at his guildmate and then back up at the heavens. "Do you want to know something embarrassing?"

She narrowed her eyes at the sudden topic shift. He gave her a moment to respond before continuing. "Ever since I was revived due to Brain's meddling, my body feels a bit different than before. I'm guessing it has to do with all the ethernano I was encased in, the same thing that wiped my memory."

"Ever since then, sometimes my whole body will go a bit numb. Not for very long, maybe a few seconds at a time, or a minute if I get unlucky." He waved one hand at her with a half-smile. "It's especially bad with the hands, they get far colder than before as well. Exercise and training help, but I'll probably have to live with it for the rest of my life."

He could see Sorano sport a questioning look. "Why explain to me all that?"

He stopped staring at the sky and looked down. "Well…the only times it's never numb is when I'm using magic. Then it's as if my whole body lights up from the inside. Even if it's a powerful spell that will leave me drained it always feels comforting for the moment like I'm being bathed in warmth. It lasts for a good while, even if I'm completely drained of magic."

"And what does that have to do with anything that just happened?" Jellal just smiled.

"Even when things get bad I try and remind myself of at least one good thing. It...doesn't always work," he admitted, turning his head to the side, "but Meredy would have me and Ultear list off small nice things if we were getting too depressed. I guess what I'm trying to say is that even though, true, we're more hurt than I'd like, at least I can take comfort in the small things, like knowing I won't be so cold sleeping tonight." He eyed her, nervously wondering if that was alright to say.

For a moment, all Sorano did was stare at him. He couldn't read her expression, but he thought it promising that it was more eye contact spared to him since the battle that afternoon. Then she began to shake slightly and he tensed, wondering if she was ok.

It turned out to be a false worry as she began to laugh. Not a nice, silly giggle like Meredy but in breathy gwaffs. She clutched her sides, almost howling in laughter. He sat, frozen, his mind blank.

"I-Is that what that was? A pep talk by the most depressed man in camp? " Another laugh, this time more like a cackle. "Zeref! Meredy was right, you're so bad at this!"

"What? Meredy said what?! When!"

But Sorano was already too far gone to answer him. He flailed about helplessly, knowing that even when she was done, she'd never tell him.

Still, maybe it was worth not knowing if he could get her to laugh again. The sound wasn't the prettiest, but it radiated in clear mirth underneath the starry skies.


	2. renegade

**ii. two weeks - renegade**

Two weeks ago she fiddled her fingers over a bright red bow, hoping that the box it was tied to look just right. She fussed over the design and the package and especially the ribbon to no end, thinking that if everything was just perfect maybe she could finally summon the courage to give it to him.

No such luck, unfortunately.

Instead, she hid the gift immediately after wrapping it up so precisely, tucking it away with what she generally referred to as her "lady items" which really mostly consisted of things she wanted to keep private. And in a guild of mostly bumbling men, this worked out pretty well. Unfortunately…

She wasn't the _only_ woman anymore.

When Meredy helped her unpack one night and saw the far too nicely wrapped present she flew into a girlish frenzy of asking about who it was for. Sorano, blushing from tip to tip, snatched the box away and yelled at her to leave her alone, giving her the cold shoulder the rest of the night. She clutched the box even as she slept, afraid of what might happen if Meredy suddenly started waving it around the camp.

In the morning though, her arms were sore from holding the box all night and Meredy glumly apologized about asking about something private. To her surprise, Sorano began to cry a little over how stupid she was being about a dumb gift. Meredy's mothering mode switched on and the two of them talked for a while about gifts and recipients and the terrifying possibility of being rejected.

"He's not going to reject it. It's a lovely gift."

Sorano sniffed. She _knew_ he wasn't going to say no to her…but that didn't mean he had to like doing it. Meredy just smiled softly and said she wouldn't tell. This small act made Sorano feel a little bit better.

But when they were both lying in bed, she thought about it some more. About the conversation the two of them had at the riverbank after defeating yet another dark guild. How he'd looked so tired yet relieved that night. _Stop thinking about his stupid face_. She didn't though; and neither did she stop thinking about his words.

The next morning she woke up early (or was it that she just never went to sleep at all?) and offered to be in the front of the line, next to him. Usually, Meredy reserved that spot, but she gladly gave it up to fall back among Erik and Macbeth. She didn't give it to him then, not with so many other witnesses around.

When they stopped to take a break, she made sure no one was looking and hastily shoved the small box towards him; not even giving him enough time to gather a reaction before essentially running away. "That's for you," she said, "only because I don't want to hear you complaining about it anymore."

Erik (of course, _Erik_ ) stops her as she heads off to find a pile of leaves to crawl under for their break. "Renegades don't really wear mittens now do they?" He dodged her weak attempt at a punch and laughed as she stalked off. Honestly, she couldn't even blame him for laughing at her, it _was_ ridiculous. But she didn't feel any nauseating regret about doing it, mostly she just felt relieved that she had finally taken the small weight of the gift off her back.

And _maybe_ just a little bit happy when she came back from the break to see him wearing them.


	3. freedom

**iii. one day - freedom**

* * *

Yesterday she asked him a question that had been on her mind for a while now.

"What do you want to do when all this is over? When Zeref's gone and we're...free?"

They overlooked a clearing on top of a tree-covered hill. Buds were starting to come out, a sign that winter would be over soon.

He stared down at the clearing, his expression vacant. "I don't know."

She refrained from a patronizing response. Even she recognized a subject not to be taken lightly.

"I think…if things go well…maybe I'll travel down south."

He glanced at her, a hint of surprise on his face. "Something you find interesting there?"

She shook her head. "No. Well, I suppose that's not true. I like the idea of warmer weather, and I heard the culture there is a fair bit laxer on those from other countries and of our," she stopped to ponder the right word, "nature."

He hummed knowingly. She paused in her speech.

"But really, I just think it would be nice. To be in a place…not here." Once again she looked up at the sky, her first dream towards someplace different. He didn't respond to her, instead choosing to stare upwards with her.

"That sounds lovely Sorano. Maybe we'll all go down and visit you there sometime."

Sorano's face reddened as she turned towards him and sputtered. "Oh, no, just forget about it! Ugh, you better not think this in front of Erik or he'll never get off my case about it."

"He hasn't heard it yet?"

"I have my ways."

He laughed, then began making his way downwards. "I'll do my best."

"Which means he'll be laughing at me by evening," she mumbled to herself. A mittened hand reached out towards her.

"Need a hand? It's still a bit icy going down."

"O-oh. Well, if you insist."

She slowly reached out and grabbed his hand. Sorano couldn't tell if the warmth she felt was from her or him as they carefully descended. For the moment, it didn't really matter much either way.


End file.
